A Different Story
by Jenna Red
Summary: A few years ago, the flock broke into three pairs and split up to avoid being captured by the dreaded whitecoats. They agree to meet up in Arizona in five years but what happens when something goes wrong? Join Max in another crazy story. Rated T. FAX! ***This story is currently on hold. The AN in chapter 10 explains, but I will not remove it*** my apologies
1. Prologue

A/N: Hi, its Janxi here. This is my first Fanfic so cut me some slack please, I'm still new at this. I'd really like to see what you think of my story so here's the prologue. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the Characters used so far.

Prologue

Max POV

This is torture! The clock in the front of the room is slowly ticking away the seconds until I can finally leave this horrible place. There's nothing left for me here. I've endured the last three years for my "mother" but now that she's gone I just don't see the point in staying. Not my real mother, of course. No, Mrs. Daniels was just a kind old woman who took care of me and Nudge. Up until she had a heart attack last week.

I plan to meet up with Fang and Angel in Arizona at Dr Martinez's house as soon as I can get out of here, which is – according to the clock – in about 15 minutes.

Dr. Martinez is my real mother. My actual flesh and blood mother. We found her just before we had to split up. She is a vet (yeah, I know. Stop giggling, you at the back!) and she lives in Arizona with my little sister Ella and now also two members of my flock. I still can't get used to the idea of actually having a real family.

"Pssst! Jess!" Man, I hate being called that. We've all been using aliases since the incident with the white coats. We still don't know if they'd given up on us yet but we can't be too sure.

"Jessica!", Nudge was urgently trying to get my attention. We were in a classroom at some small high school somewhere just outside of New Jersey. The room was just like any other classroom with a black board (which was actually green?) and desks et cetera. Nudge loved school but I couldn't stand it here. Just the fact that its called a _school _already makes me tense.

Now you're probably wondering how Nudge and I are in the same class since there's a major age difference but we weren't quite honest about our ages when we registered here. This school believed we were both fourteen but it worked. Because we were tall for our age, Nudge could look a bit older than she really was and since she's so clever, she can keep up with the learning material almost better than I can – which is sadly not well at all as we never had a proper education before the last three years, lets give a big thanks to the white coats for that.

"What? Can't it wait ten more minutes?", I whispered back to her. I would much rather have this conversation on our way to Arizona, while flying through the clouds and none of these humans can overhear what we say. Maybe the reason I never made any friends here was that I didn't trust any of them. Oh, well, I'd rather be alive than popular.

Something landed on my desk then. Nudge had passed me a note. What could be so important that it couldn't wait till after school? I warily opened the note, afraid of what I might read.

_Hey 'Jess', can we have pizza before we leave? PLEASE?_

I almost burst out laughing. Of course food is the most important thing to Nudge. I just smiled at her and nodded my head. She practically jumped up and down in her seat. Then the bell rang and we were the first ones out of there.

A/N: Hey guys, This is my very first fanfic so I want to know all your thoughts and suggestions. What did you think about the chapter? Too long? Too short?  
>This is just the prologue and the actual chapters will be a bit longer but this is a test dive if I don't get reviews I'll assume you don't like the story so if you want to read further, please review so I can know if it's worth continuing.<p>

Also if you have any ideas or requests regarding the story, let me know and I could use them.

Thank you all!

Janxi


	2. Chapter 1, Taking Off

**AN:** Hey, everybody! I'd like to give a big thanks to my reviewers and everybody who added my story on alerts and stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far.

**Chapter 1, Taking Off**

**Max POV**

We went to Mrs. Daniels' house straight after school to get everything we needed for the trip. Mrs. Daniels' house wasn't huge but it was big enough for the three of us. Her husband died before we met her and they never had children so I guess she was pretty lonely. She was a scientist at the school herself at some point, years ago but when she found out they were going to try mixing DNA she quit out of principle and that's probably the only reason I ever trusted her.  
>I was definitely going to miss her. She wasn't out real mom but Nudge and I have grown to like her very fast. Especially since she was an extraordinary cook. Mrs. D also understood us surprisingly well, considering that she never had kids of her own. She knew how to handle our moods and I heard her comfort Nudge at night sometimes when she was sad about something.<br>That was usually my job as I was the flock leader but I knew it would only be for a few years so I let her take care of us. Something we weren't use to at all, by the way.

After we packed our backpacks and grabbed all the money we've been hiding around Mrs. Daniels' house we made sure that we removed any evidence that we were ever here. We had to make sure that none of the weirdoes from the School ever found out that we stayed in this town. It was for the safety of every person who lived here. None of them, not even the bullies, should ever have to know about the School and their cruel ways.

As always, Nudge was talking as we cleaned the house. She went on and on about some TV show she was going to miss once we left.  
>"Do you think your mom has cable, Max? Or maybe the show doesn't need cable. I never really noticed before. It was always just kind of on when I turned on the television. Man, I'm starving! I can't wait to get that pizza…" she continued but my ears couldn't take anymore Nudge, so I finished with the laundry and headed for the kitchen to get some distance between us. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the girl to death and back, she's my sister after all, but a person can only take so much.<p>

When I reentered the living room, where Nudge was destroying some more evidence, I noticed she was quiet, which got my attention right there. I saw Nudge looking at one of the pictures we were burning in the fireplace. When she saw me looking at her she hesitated then threw it into the fire and went on to sweep the bathroom contents, meaning that she went to remove anything that could have our DNA.

I moved over to the fire, where the picture was burning and a lump formed in my throat. The picture was taken when Mrs. Daniels took us to some festival about a year ago. It had a few lame rides and some of the town residents were selling all kinds of snacks.

In the picture the three of us were all smiling and making signs behind each other's heads.

Mrs. D always took us to things like that. Even when old age began to take it out of her, she always put us first and she really took care of us the best she could.

Just before the flames consumed the last of the picture, I knelt down beside the fire and let out a quiet whisper, "Goodbye, Mrs. D. I'm really going to miss you. Thanks for always being there for us."

Then I stood and put on my backpack and turned to look at Nudge, who was back from her inspection. I could see that she was sad, but she put on a brave face and kept herself together. I was so proud of her. "You ready?" I asked.  
>She nodded and took her own backpack, then followed me out the door.<p>

**Nudge POV**

We were busy 'cleaning the house' and I was going through the last of the photo albums, burning any pictures we appeared in.  
>As I did this, Max was going through the laundry, throwing all our clothes – which we weren't taking with us – into a big trash bag. We would dump it when we were out of town.<p>

I was a little sad about leaving. It's been nice to have someone take care of us for a while but I knew it wouldn't last and I knew Max would make sure we were safe.  
>I would really miss Mrs. D but I can't wait to see Angel and Fang again. I hoped we could stay there with them. Then, in two more years, Iggy and Gazzy would join us and it'd be like old times… but hopefully without all the Erasers.<p>

I looked at the last picture I was holding, remembering the festival and the happiness of the town folk and all the sweets I ate that day.  
>I looked up to see Max eying me from across the room. I hesitated, saying a quick mental farewell to Mrs. D, and threw it into the fire.<p>

I felt tears coming, so I stood up and went to double check the bathroom for anything we may have missed. I would not cry in front of Max over something like this. I was stronger than that.

A few quiet tears rolled down my cheeks before I pulled myself together and went through the cabinets under the sink. I wouldn't let Max see me cry. I wanted to be as tough as she is. She's always took care of me and the rest of the flock and I know she loved Mrs. D very much.

When I left the bathroom I saw Max get up from where she knelt in front of the fire. I figured she probably saw the picture.

I kept my mouth shut, with some effort, and let Max say goodbye in silence. She turned around and gathered her backpack, looking at me. "You ready?" she asked me. I nodded and copied the movement. 

We left the place we've called home for the last three years and headed to meet our family.

"Right," I said, trying to lighten the mood, "I was thinking I'd like about four large pizzas and two jumbo drinks."

Max smiled and said, "Fine, as long as there's enough money for two of those orders. I'm starving!"

**Max POV**

Nudge swallowed the last piece of her pizza as we took off into the air. Man, I love flying. It's the best feeling in the entire world. Nudge being Nudge, was keeping up a constant babbling as we were soaring through the air. I gave an occasional nod but my thoughts were far away.

I was wondering what the rest of the flock was doing at this moment.

I knew Fang and Angel stayed with my mom in Arizona and Iggy and Gazzy were staying with Jeb in Virginia. I sill had my doubts about trusting Jeb but since he rescued us from the white coats the last time, I thought he deserved at least one chance. I smiled as I imagined Iggy and Gazzy together in a house with only Jeb to try and contain their experiments. Just like me, they don't have a drop of respect for Jeb but they volunteered to live with him in Virginia.

At first I was a little concerned about them blowing up the house on the first day but then I realized I didn't care. I knew the guys could handle themselves and just because I almost trust Jeb, doesn't mean I like him and I'd like to know that he has his hands full.

I hoped they were all okay. I haven't seen any of them in so long… though I have been in touch with Fang. He started a blog a few months after we separated, in which he sent me coded messages. I, using Mrs. Daniels' laptop, emailed him frequently about what Nudge and I were doing.

Nudge's sudden lack of talking yanked me back to what was currently happening. She was quietly examining something in her hands. I flew over to her and saw that it was a metal hairpin.  
>I was about to ask what she was doing when she dropped the pin. You would think that if you drop a hairpin from about a hundred miles high, it was gone, but when it was about three inches from her hand, it magically stopped in mid air and flew right back to her.<br>I was stunned.  
>"Nudge? What just happened?" I asked, dumbfounded.<br>"I can attract metal!" She said excitedly, "The wind blew the pin out of my hair and when I reached for it, it just flew back into my hand. I tried it with my plastic pin but nothing happened so it must be a magnetic thing. It's too bad about the pin, though, because it was one of my favorites but its fine, I'll get over it. Wow, if I am magnetic-" She was cut off by my hand covering her mouth.  
>"Okay, Nudge, I got it." I said as I removed my hand. She was beaming at me, very pleased with her new power. I was still baffled. Were starting to get more powers? More things to make us different from the humans? I knew some of us had special powers, like my leading skills, Nudge's ability to hack into any computer, Iggy and Gazzy's bombing expertise and Angel's mind reading but I was scared of what might happen if we just keep on evolving on our own. I would never show it, though. Never in my entire life had I <em>ever<em> admitted to being scared and it was something I was proud of. I could handle it.

Just then I heard a noise from directly above us.

A/N: So, that's the first actual chapter! I hope you liked it, but I don't have to just hope if you review and tell me. (That was a hint by the way *wink*)  
>Sorry that it's kind of a cliffie but I really need to move around a bit. I've been sitting here for hours.<p>

I'll update soon!

Again, any suggestions are welcome. I have an idea for the story but if you have better ones let me know and I'll use them instead!


	3. Chapter 2, What was That?

**A/N:** Hey everyone. I'm back! I'd like to thank my reviewers again. You are awesome and you really made my day with your nice messages.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far.

**Chapter 2, What was that?**

**Max POV**

Coming at us from above, accelerating seriously fast, was something I've never seen before. It was like one of those fighter jets but it was smaller and I couldn't see any weapons on it. That didn't meant there wasn't any, though. _Perfect, this is just what we needed. Its been way too long since anyone tried to kill us_. I pulled Nudge out of the way just as it raced past us at the exact place Nudge was a few seconds ago. I assumed it would turn around and head back, using a tracker or heat sensor or something so I readied myself to fight it out of the sky, but it just kept going straight ahead.

That's weird. Our enemies usually put up more of a fight. What, now we're not worth good bad guys anymore? Compared to the things the School previously sent after us – namely Erasers or Flyboys – this thing was _lame_!

"What_ was_ that thing?", Nudge asked.

"I'm not sure. It looked like some kind of jet, but it was smaller.", I said, trying to sound like I knew what was going on, like a good leader should. Inside I was still trying to figure it out, though. I was also a bit offended by the quality of the flying thing we just encountered.

"Wow, that thing, whatever it was almost hit me! Max, you saved me, thanks! I wonder if it was attracted by my magnetism and I didn't realize it? We'll need to figure out-".  
>Once again my hand covered her mouth.<p>

"Nudge I don't know what that thing was but I'm pretty sure you didn't attract it with your new power. No offence but I doubt your magnetism is strong enough to do something like that. I also think that thing was after us specifically and it could still be following us. We'll need to head in a different direction. We can't go directly to Arizona if there's something after us.", I said, already thinking where we should go next and where would be the safest. I'd thought the white coats weren't after us anymore but you can never too sure. We_ needed_ to be sure otherwise we would just put my mom and Ella and everyone in danger by going to Arizona.

Nudge apparently knew what I was thinking, because she immediately stated begging.

"Come on, Max!" she pleaded, "I can't wait any longer. I haven't seen the guys in years and I'm dying to see Angel again. I've wanted to try this new hairstyle on her that would look absolutely fantastic in her pretty curls. I'm sure that thing just flew past us on its way to some other place and we just happened to be here at the time. I mean lets face it, that plane or whatever probably wasn't programmed to look out for a couple of flying bird kids. Unless it was made by the School and I don't think it was because it would have attacked us if it was wouldn't it? And-"

This time she shut up before my hand reached her mouth. See, she was learning. Her eyes were still silently pleading me, though.

I thought about it. I doubted that the mini jet thing just passed us by accident but maybe Nudge was right. Maybe I was just paranoid. I mean she had a point. Not everything in the world is because of the School. Plus, I really wanted to see Fang and Angel too, not to mention my mom and Ella. I nodded at Nudge and we continued in the direction of my mom's house.

She made a little loop in the air and instantly restarted her rambling.

I smiled and joined her conversation, for a while. When she started about clothes and makeup, though, I tuned her out again. That wasn't something I was even remotely interested in.

Instead I thought about everything that happened in the last couple of years. There have been some tough times but there were good times too. Like when Nudge tried dating a few months ago. The poor guy ended up running back to his mom's car when they brought Nudge home after the date. Poor guy probably wasn't able to handle the Nudge channel for so long. Nudge was a bit disappointed about her date going so badly but soon she got over it and laughed with me as we remembered the poor fellow's face.  
>After that she kind of put the whole dating thing on hold. I was relieved because the last thing we needed was some human getting too mixed up in our lives.<p>

I also thought about that jet again. I hoped it was just a coincidence like Nudge said but I couldn't get rid of a certain nagging feeling in the back of my head, telling me I should be careful.  
>I knew it wasn't the Voice. The Voice was gone and has been for a while now. It would never bother me again, of that I made sure a long time ago. I shuddered at the memory.<p>

"Hey, Max, are you okay? You look a little weird. We could stop for a while?" Nudge asked concerned. "No, I'm fine. I do think we should stop anyways, though, we need to rest up so we can be fully charged when we get there." I said and tried to look strong and in charge.

"Sure, but can we stay at a hotel, please? We still have money left over and I heard that there's this one hotel where you get your own butler and I know we're probably not anywhere near that one but I'd still really like to stay at a hotel rather than sleep in the park again."

"Sure, we can pick one on the way." I said and her face lit up.

She was still describing hotels she'd seen on TV and in magazines when we reached one somewhere in Missouri and I checked us in. The secretary looked a little suspicious about two teenage girls renting a room by themselves but she didn't say anything. She just gave us our keys and filled us in on the hotel services.

We took our room key and headed upstairs, where we each took long, hot showers and settled in front of the TV after ordering just about everything on the room service menu. Our room was high up and had a small balcony on one side, just big enough to walk out on. After Nudge went to bed I went outside and just sat and stared at the sky.  
>I remembered someone once told me that every star in the sky represented a person and once you die, you join the rest of the stars and spend eternity looking down on Earth. Look at me, Maximum Ride, getting all philosophic on you. Don't worry; I've never really believed in that sort of thing but if it was true I hoped Mrs. D had a nice spot up there with a good view.<p>

I actually slept that night. I dreamt about the whole flock being together again, flying freely through the air. I hoped the dream would never end.

We were on our way again at five in the morning so we could make it to my mom's house before it was too late. We didn't want to get there at seven and then still wait to make sleeping arrangements.

Thanks to some nice wind currents and great weather we made it to my mom's house at about noon. I was little nervous about seeing everyone again. I mean I knew Iggy and Gazzy weren't there yet. We agreed to meet here in five years and it has only been three but its not like Nudge and I could stay in that little town alone for to years, so here we were. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved Mrs. Daniels and I'm very thankful to her for taking care of us but I was still the leader of the flock and I had to take care of Nudge. I just couldn't think of anywhere else to go and I've been missing my mom's cookies like crazy.

Nudge rang the doorbell and for a while there was silence. Dang, I should have let Fang know we were coming. Yeah, I know what you're thinking; I've been emailing him for years, why didn't I just tell him when Mrs. D died? Well, I just couldn't find the right words and part of me was ashamed. I am Maximum Ride, leader of the only mutant experiments that was still alive, and I shouldn't be asking for help. I was supposed to always know what to do.  
>I know what you're thinking now, Maximum Ride can't admit to making a mistake. I guess, you're right, maybe it's a pride thing, I don't know.<p>

As I was mentally scolding myself for being so stupid, a tall boy dressed in all black opened the door. His black hair spilled over his forehead. For a moment I didn't recognize him but then his dark eyes met mine.

"Hi." I managed to get in before Nudge got started.  
>"Fang!" Nudge squealed and threw herself passed me to hug him. He looked as emotionless as when I last saw him but I could tell he was surprised to see us. I really should have let him know that we were coming but I didn't know what to say. He motioned for us to come inside.<br>"Oh my goodness, its so good to see you again! Where are Angel and Ella? Ooh and Dr. M? Man, I'm so excited! I missed you guys so much!" Nudge gushed as we settled in the living room.

"They're out shopping. They'll be back soon.", Fang answered Nudge, leading us further into the house. "I wasn't expecting you for another two years. Is something wrong?" He asked, sounding mildly interested, which meant he was concerned.  
>"Uhm, Mrs. D had a heart attack about a week ago." I said, trying to sound casual. I was a little scared of what his reaction would be to me keeping this from him.<br>"Yeah, so we came early!" Nudge went on happily, "Do you have any food, I'm starving."

Fang motioned to the kitchen and Nudge was gone. He looked at me and I knew he was silently asking me why I didn't tell him we were coming. I gave him a look that said I'd tell him later. He didn't look happy but Nudge was back so he couldn't say anything. We haven't told anybody that we were communicating through his blog. It was just between us and the less people who knew about it, the better.

For the next few minutes we all just sat there talking, we filled Fang in on some of the most important happenings, not telling him everything as we didn't want to repeat everything when the others arrived. I didn't ask Fang about what's been happening here, figuring we'd get better details from Ella as Fang was still the silent, emotionless wall we all grew up with.

I couldn't help staring at him every now and then. He's changed quite a bit since I last saw him. For one thing he's much taller than me now and his hair somehow looks even darker.  
>I don't think he caught me staring, but now and then he would look at me questioningly for a moment and then he would turn his attention back to Nudge, who was, of coarse, talking non stop.<p>

I decided I wasn't needed at the moment, so I leaned back against the coach and closed my eyes.

I was surprised to find that I was quite tired. I guess flying almost all the way across the country was catching up with me.  
>Since I was here with Nudge and the person I trusted most on the planet, I figured I was safe enough to take a nap.<p>

Just before I dozed off Fang's face popped into my mind and I realized what was so different. He didn't look like the same kid I parted with three years ago, he's grown a whole lot since then and I found myself thinking that he was actually very attractive. I was about to scold myself for thinking such things about _my best friend_, but then tiredness took over and I fell asleep, thinking about how good it felt to be home.

A/N: Okay, so there was the second chapter. Thank you again for reading and as usual, please review and let me know what you thought.  
>Come on, guys! I don't want to have to beg you.<p>

Janxi


	4. Chapter 3, Waking up

**A/N:** Hey guys! Okay, so I wanted to wait a few more days before publishing this because I haven't finished the next chapter yet and I like to stay ahead but I felt bad for you so here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any characters used so far.

**Chapter 3, Waking up**

**Max POV**

I woke up and instantly froze as I heard a noise around me. I took in my surrounding without moving. I was laying on a something soft and another something – warmer than the something I was laying on – was covering me. It felt like a blanket. Then I heard a very familiar voice and the memories of the previous day came rushing back to me. I was laying on the couch at my mom's house and the noise I heard was coming from the kitchen. It sounded like Nudge talking to someone. I waited for her to pause so I could identify the other person, which took a while if you consider how much Nudge talks. When she did, I heard the voice of my very own mother.

I relaxed for about two seconds, then jumped as I realized that my mom was _here _and I've been asleep on the couch for who knows how long, wasting valuable family time. I got up too fast, though, and my legs got tangled up the blanket. When I finally found my feet again I stood there for a moment, feeling disoriented. My vision returned after another few seconds and a movement across the room caught my eye. I swirled around to find Fang on the other couch, looking at me with a casually amused look on his face. His eyes told me he was internally laughing his ass off at me.

This was embarrassing. Not that I would let him know that. I straightened up, gave him a nod and headed for the kitchen with the little dignity I had left.

I paused at the kitchen door, looking at the scene before me. Nudge was chatting to Ella, Angel and my mom at full speed. She was telling them everything about everything that happened to us since we left. I only caught fragments of what she was saying as I stood there and watched my mom, Angel and Ella try to keep up. They were concentrating so hard they didn't even notice me standing there.

"…and then this guy came up to Max and asked her out and she looked at him for like two seconds and just turned around and left him standing there, looking all discombobulated in the middle of the street. That's new word I learned bu the way; discombobulate. It pretty much means confused. Anyway, I was glad, though, because the guy looked like a total loser but I still laughed so hard I cried all the way back to Mrs. D's." There was silence for the briefest moment as Nudge needed to inhale and I decided to take my shot.  
>"I think I better step in before Nudge tells you all kind of other things I'd rather keep private, also melting your ears in the process of her talking so much."<br>All their heads shot up as I entered the kitchen.  
>"Oh, hey you woke up!" Nudge said excitedly, "I was just telling them about that time Mrs. D took us all the way to New York City and that weirdo with the green shoes came on to you."<p>

"Hi, Max!" Angel said from her spot at the counter. I was about to greet everyone back but the wind was soon knocked out of me.  
>Ella had practically jumped over the counter to come give me a hug. In Ella's case a 'hug' means a death grip "Max! Max! I'm so glad to see you again!"<p>

She squeezed me so tight I could hardly breathe and I felt like I was turning blue.  
>"Ella, Max needs air.", Fang's quiet voice came from behind me. I jumped a bit at his sudden appearance out of nowhere as Ella released me and went back to where Nudge and Angel were eating – wait for it – chocolate chip cookies!<p>

I turned to Fang and was about to thank him for getting Ella off me when I saw that he was trying to hold back laughter. This was new. Mr. emotionless was practically in hysterics. I was so surprised I didn't know what to say. Then I noticed the others also grinning. _What is going on?_

Fang pointed to my head and Angel and Ella burst out laughing. "Your hair." they managed to get out between laughing so hard they folded double. Oh, dang, my hair probably stood up in every direction but it was still very un-Fanglike to actually be laughing.

I composed myself scowled at him for laughing at me and turned to give my mom a hug.  
>"Hi, Mom." I said as I took a seat and grabbed a cookie. It tasted heavenly.<br>"It's good to see you, honey," she said  
>"Why didn't you wake me when you came home?" I asked, still enjoying my cookie.<br>"Oh, but you looked so tired. Plus, Nudge did a great job at filling us in on everything" _No way, really? _I thought to myself as my mom continued, "I'm sorry to hear about Mrs. Daniels, though, she was a good woman."

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking and catching up.  
>Ella told us about the school they were all attending. Fang and Angel also went to school under the names Nick and Ariel and the story was that they were my mom's niece and nephew. Ella and Nudge then had an in depth conversation about a boy Ella liked while Angel went to watch TV. She said she'd catch up with all the news tomorrow and that she didn't want to miss the last episode of the series she was watching. According to her Nicky was finally going to play her song to the rest of the school. Whatever that meant.<p>

Fang, my mom and I went out into the small garden and enjoyed the last bit of sunlight.  
>We talked about what our cover story would be since she was going to send me and Nudge to school as well. This was something I wasn't too thrilled about but I thought that maybe it would be better if my best friend was there with me. As if he knew I was thinking about him, Fang lifted his head and looked me in the eye.<br>We stayed that way for a few moments before turning our attention back to my mom.  
>Eventually we decided that Nudge and I were going to pretend to be the children of Dr. M's other sister, who died in a car crash.<p>

I was surprised to hear that Fang had joined Ella's group of friends at school and that she was apparently going to introduce me to them on Saturday – today was Wednesday – when they were all going to the movies. "So, what do you say, Max?" Ella pushed as I was still imagining having normal friends. "Uhm, okay? Why not, right?" I replied.  
>"I'm sure we could find a reason." I heard Fang mutter, "If they pick the movie." He gestured at the girls and I had to stifle a laugh. Wow, Fang was very talkative today.<p>

We were all laughing in the kitchen enjoying cookies and when we were finished my mom went to take care of some emergency at the clinic while us kids moved to the living room to continue our discussion o whether Fang could beat me in a race. Fang and I weren't really taking part in the debate. It was more Angel and Nudge against Ella. From what I could hear, Ella was betting twenty dollars that I would win. Since the other girls were part of the flock, they knew very well that Fang was incredibly fast. Or at least he had been three years ago.  
>"Okay, then, it's a bet." Angel said sweetly. "Now we just need to decide where they should race to."<p>

"Oh, they could go to the old yellow barn on the farm up the road and back!" Ella put in.  
>"Yay! Come on guys!" Nudge called to me and Fang, who were sitting on the couch, watching their little exchange take place.<p>

"Yo, guys, hang on a sec. Fang and I never actually agreed to this." I said as Angel dragged me out the door and into the garden. It was getting dark but that wasn't a problem for our night vision. "Oh, but you have to, Max. Please?" Ella begged me.  
>"Yeah, why not?" Fang whispered to me, "You scared I'll win?" That did it.<br>No way was I letting that comment slide. Maximum Ride doesn't back down from a challenge. I turned to face him full on, my eyes filled with new determination. "You wish. Bring it on guys." I said to many cheers from the girls. I was going to win this race if it was the last thing I did.

Angel told us where we were supposed to fly and we took our positions on the roof. Nudge insisted on being the referee and even took out a whistle she got who knows where. "On three, guys." She said to me and Fang. "One…" and we were off. It was a flock thing we used to do. If we were ever in a bad situation, with bad guys surrounding us and we had to an 'up and away', I'd yell "Up and away on three!". When I counted one, we would all take off into the air and escape. The enemies would think they had until three to attack us and our arrangement took them off guard every time.

I was flying through the air as fast as I could manage but Fang was about three feet ahead and I couldn't have that. I pushed myself t the limit and called on every ounce of speed I could muster and suddenly I shot forward at about 200 miles an hour. I flew past the barn and had to make a 'u'-turn in the air to get back. I stopped on the roof of the barn to pick one of the blue flowers that grew there (we had to bring back flowers to prove we were at the barn) and I wondered where Fang was at. Afraid that he was already on his way back, I called on my outrageous super speed and in seconds I was back at the house.

I was met with three stunned faces. "What just happened?" Nudge asked, confused. "You were supposed to go all the way to the barn and bring back a blue flower."  
>"I did." I said, holding up my hand, showing it to them.<br>"But how did you do it so fast?" She was still looking puzzled and then Fang reached us.

"How did you do that?" He insisted. I was looking at each of their faces in turn, trying to figure it out myself.  
>"I don't know. I've never gone that fast before. It just happened." I tried to explain but by the looks on their faces I was failing miserably.<br>Angel surprised us all by smiling calmly and saying simply, "It's obvious isn't it? Max has a new power like Nudge."

We stared at her for a minute processing this information. "Well, its possible." Nudge said, growing more excited with every second that passed. "OMG, this is so cool! I wonder if Iggy and Gazzy are also getting new powers. I bet they are. This is totally amazing! I wonder what your power is Fang-" Ella's hand was over her mouth.  
>"I agree that his is seriously cool but there's still something we need to settle before we go into the details." She had a mischievous smile on her face as she said this and Angel groaned audibly. "What's wrong?" I asked. Nudge and Angel were pouting and Ella looked very pleased with herself.<br>"Ella won the bet. " Angel stated glumly. "You beat Fang so now we gotta pay up."  
>"And I was going to buy me those new sneakers!" Nudge said as Ella took their money.<p>

They all went to Ella's room to discuss the possibility of our new powers then and Fang and I went to the living room to wait for my mom to return with the pizzas she promised to bring for dinner. "That was fun." I said, just to break the silence that was hanging around us. I didn't expect him to react but as always, he surprised me. "You were amazing." He said and I felt a slight blush creep up to my face. "Thanks." I said a little shyly. There was another silence, but it wasn't awkward and I sat down on the couch with my eyes closed. I felt the couch shift under me as Fang sat down next to me.  
>"I'm glad you're back." He said surprising me yet again.<br>"Me too." I said with my eyes still closed but I let my head slide to rest on his shoulder. "I really missed you guys."  
>Fang was silent again but it didn't bother me. I just sat there and enjoyed the feeling of being with the people I called my family.<p>

I heard the front door open and my mom's voice traveled into the room along with the smell of delicious pizza. Fang stood and helped me up and we went to help my mom with about ten pizzas. Yeah, it took a lot of food to feed four bird kids and Ella and my mom.

The girls came down from their room and we gathered in the living room to eat our pizza and it was the happiest I've been in months, but when my mom left to go get us all some sodas, Fang caught my eye. "We need to talk." He said simply. I knew he was referring to me keeping information from him and I also knew he wouldn't let this go so I whispered back to him, "Okay, but not now. Later, when my mom and the girls are asleep." He nodded and let it go. Just then Mom returned with our sodas. The girls didn't notice our little conversation because they were chatting away about some celebrity I've never heard of.

When it was time for bed my mom had already prepared an extra room for me. Ella was only too happy to let Nudge share her room and I got the guest room. Angel had her own room, though it was smaller and she spent most of her time in Ella's room anyway.  
>Ella's room was on the second floor and the bathroom separated it from Fang's. My room was also on the second floor, at the end of the hall, just across the hall from Fang's. My mom's and Angels' rooms were downstairs along with the kitchen, living room and another bathroom.<p>

I wished everyone a good night, took a shower and went back to my room. As I entered, I saw Fang sitting on the bed. He looked up at me and I could tell he wanted us to have the conversation now.  
>I so didn't want to do this now, but I was too tired to argue with him right now so I sat down on the bed next to him, then realized I was still wrapped in a towel. I didn't know if Fang noticed this or not but I wasn't having this conversation in a freaking <em>towel<em>.

I tried not to look embarrassed as I said, "Okay, fine, I know you want to talk and I will, but can I at least get dressed first?"  
>He looked at me and it seemed like he just realized I wasn't dressed. He almost blushed but nodded and left the room. Well, he was still quiet old Fang. This afternoon I was starting to think he's changed – what with all the showing of emotions – but he soon proved me wrong.<p>

I put on my rarely used PJ's (rarely used because when we're hiding out in trees we tend to sleep in our clothes – don't judge, its easier when you're on the run) and went over to Fang's room.

A/N: Okay, so thank you for reading! I was thinking I'd like to make the next chapter Fang's POV of when Max and Nudge arrived in Arizona. Let me know what you think so I know if you want it.

The next chapter should be up around next weekend. Have a great week!


	5. Chapter 3, FPOV

**A/N:** Hey guys, I am so sorry for taking so long with this chapter but we have exams now and its so much work its hard to keep up. So this is just going to be the story from Fang's POV and its going to be some repetition but it reveals a bit of what goes on the Fang's head.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed or added my story to alerts and favorites. You guys make me feel special.

To answer some of your questions: Iggy and Gazzy will join the rest of the flock soon and the flock split up in the first place so the whitecoats wouldn't be able to capture them. Sorry if the summary didn't explain that. I'll work on it.  
>Anyway, on to the story.<p>

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far.

**Chapter 3 (Fang POV)**

**Fang POV**

I was in my room at Dr. M's house in Arizona, where I've lived for the past three years.  
>I let out a mental sigh.<br>It was tough to live in the same house with two females. Especially when one of them can read minds. After a while, though, you learn to control what you're thinking. It was the summer holiday and school ended last week so every day was an entire day with Angel and Ella. Dr. M wasn't as annoyingly girly but she still couldn't speak comfortably to me. Not like Iggy or Gazzy used to. Man, I miss those guys! Anyway, luckily the girls were out shopping for the day and I was reveling in the quiet, trying to figure out my next message to Max.

_Max… _I sighed, thinking of my best friend all the way in New Jersey. She's the only one in the flock I've had contact with since we split. It was kind of our secret thing and its definitely one of the only reasons I haven't gone completely insane with stress…yet. At least I knew that she and Nudge were safe. I often worry about Iggy, who is almost as close to me as Max.  
>I still doubted that Jeb was one of the good guys but at least I knew Iggy and Gazzy could handle themselves and if Max trusted Jeb enough to allow them to live with him, I guess I should too.<p>

I put down my laptop and flopped down on my bed. For a while I just lay there staring at my favorite spot on the ceiling. Now you're probably wondering why I have a favorite spot on _my ceiling_ but I'm so not telling you that. You'll have to figure it out yourself.

I was considering texting Sam – he was the closest thing I had to a friend at our school. At least I could talk about guy things with him – but then the doorbell rang. I thought about Max on my way to the door. She hasn't sent me a message in a while and it was starting to worry me. _Maybe I should ask Dr. M if she had Mrs. Daniels' number so I could call…No, that'd be stupid. She's probably fine and she'll just bite your head off for being paranoid…But maybe-  
><em>My thoughts were muted as I opened the door to reveal… Max and Nudge?

At least I thought it was them. I mean I haven't seen them in years and they weren't supposed to come for another two. That was Max's decision, after all.  
>"Hi." Max said quietly before I could say anything and then I was rammed into by a squealing Nudge. Yes, I said 'sqealing'.<p>

"Fang! Oh, my goodness, it is so good to see you again! Where are Angel and Ella? Ooh and Dr. M? Man, I'm so excited! I missed you guys so much!" I led them into the house, still wondering why they were here. As far as I knew they were supposed to be in New Jersey, which was almost all the way across the country.

"They're out shopping. They'll be back soon." I said to answer Nudge's question.

"I wasn't expecting you for another two years. Is something wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound worried but still wanting to know what was going on.  
>"Uhm, Mrs. D had a heart attack about a week ago.", Max said a bit too casually.<br>"Yeah, so we came early!" Nudge went on, "Do you have any food, I'm starving."

I motioned to the kitchen and Nudge took off. I silently asked Max why she didn't tell me any of this with my eyes but before she could say anything, Nudge was back so I just kept quiet.

We sat down in the living room and Nudge started telling me the whole story of why they were here and just generally babbling about what seemed like _everything_. I mean, seriously, how does she know so much?

As we were talking I tried figuring out what Max's thoughts were. I caught her glancing at me a few times and I wondered what that was about. She seemed a bit restless at first but later she sat back in the couch and closed her eyes. She looked tired. I guess they've been flying for a while so I just watched her fall asleep out of the corner of my eye as Nudge was giving me a play by play of the time she tried fishing or something. I wasn't really paying attention. A person tends to zone out after a few minutes of the Nudge channel.

Ten minutes later, Dr. M and the girls came home and after many screaming 'Hello's, Nudge started rambling all over again, telling them everything. They went outside to the garden to chat and I decided I could do without that conversation so I stayed inside with Max.

I retrieved a blanket from the hall closet to cover her, where she was now slumped down on the couch. She looked so peaceful when she slept and I was really glad she was here, even if she hadn't told me she was coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to get her to tell me exactly why I wasn't told but for the moment I could wait. I just sat there watching her sleep for a while.

I caught myself thinking how beautiful she was and decided to be more careful with my thoughts. After all, the walls, and the six year olds, had ears, and mind reading powers.

Later, the others went to the kitchen for some of Dr. M's famous chocolate chip cookies. I had to admit they were awesome. It was one reason I was glad I stayed here with the girls.  
>It seems their chatter woke Max because I saw her stir and then freeze, most likely taking in her surroundings. I guess she heard the girls talking because she relaxed a bit and then she probably realized she'd been sleeping when she <em>could<em> have been talking to her mom, (Max might act all tough, but I know she loves her mom very much) because she jumped up way too fast, tangled in the blanket and fell to the floor. By now I was highly amused and for the first time in a while, I had to work to stay silent. She got to her feet quickly and stood there, steadying herself for a few seconds.  
>All this time I was watching her, trying not to burst out laughing. I am the quiet, emotionless one after all.<br>She seemed to sense someone in the room and she whirled around, unconsciously moving into a fighting stance. I could see she was trying not to show her embarrassment as she recognized me, took in my expression, straightened out and walked to the kitchen.

I followed her to where she stood in the doorway, looking at the girls. Nudge was describing an incident in New York when Max decided to stop her.

"I think I better step in before Nudge tells you all kind of other things I'd rather keep private, also melting your ears in the process of her talking so much."  
>They all looked up at her.<br>"Oh, hey you woke up!" Nudge said, "I was just telling them about that time Mrs. D took us all the way to New York City and that weirdo with the green shoes came on to you."  
>I hadn't heard the story but it seemed like something I'd enjoy, much to Max's dismay, of coarse.<p>

"Hi, Max!" Angel called from the breakfast counter. And then Ella flew into Max so fast she didn't even have time to move, and considering we have superhuman speed, that was fast.  
>"Max! Max! I'm so glad to see you again!" Ella yelled as she hung on to Max, who was looking a little choked. Ella had been ecstatic when she saw Max on the couch but Dr M convinced her to wait until Max woke up.<p>

"Ella, Max needs air.", I said and Max jumped a bit, surprised by my proximity.  
>When she turned around I noticed her hair standing in at least five different directions and I struggled to keep from laughing at her. The others also noticed her hair and were giggling behind their hands.<br>I pointed to her head and the look on her face made the rest of us lose it completely. Ella and Angel were doubled over and Max looked pissed.

She frowned at me before going to greet her mom but I didn't care in the least. While they were exchanging information I sat at a chair in the kitchen quietly and watched the happiness on Max's face.

Ella told Max and Nudge about the school we were attending and offered to introduce Max to our 'friends' when we go to the movies this weekend. I wasn't really close to them but I hung out with them because it was convenient and even though I'm quiet, I still enjoy company. Yeah, you don't need to be so surprised. I also didn't attract attention as the loner freak and I was close enough to protect Ella if I had to. Yeah, I know, 'What should you protect her from at _school_? Well, I don't know but I'm not taking any chances. Angel didn't go to our school but hers was just across the street so it was fine.

We went out to the garden and Max and Dr. M discussed possible cover stories for a while. I must say Max didn't look too enthusiastic about the whole school thing but it would definitely make it more bearable for me if she were there too.  
>I looked up and locked eyes with Max for a few seconds, again thinking how much I missed her and how happy I was to see her again.<p>

Later Dr. M left to take of something at work, but she promised to return with pizza, and somehow the younger girls organized a race between me and Max.  
>"Yo, guys, hang on a sec. Fang and I never actually agreed to this." Max said, trying to get out of it. I was actually a bit curious as to who would win so I tried to 'convince' her.<br>"Yeah, why not? You scared I'll win?" I whispered I could see that did the trick. Max never backed down from a challenge. She looked me with a determination that made my heart beat faster in my chest. Hey, where did that come from? This was weird. I quickly shoved that thought away for fear that Angel would pick up on it and focused on what Max was saying just then.  
>"You wish." She said to me, "Bring it on guys." The girls cheered and the next thing I knew I was on the roof with Max, waiting for Nudge to give the signal.<p>

"Okay, go on three, guys." She said. "One…" and we were off. I was glad Max also remembered our old Flock rule. It felt totally freaking awesome to be flying at night at top speed. I was in the lead but I didn't dare slow down. Then, all of a sudden, Max shot passed me so fast I hardly saw her. I paused for a split second and then took off after her as fast as I could. _How did she do that?_ I thought as I flew. I haven't even reached the barn yet when she passed me flying back at that same blinding speed. _She's got to teach me how to do that!_ I thought as I turned around, the race completely forgotten, and flew back to the house.

I arrived quite a while after she did and it looked like the girls were as surprised at her newfound speed as I was.

"How did you do that?" I asked her as I landed next to her.  
>"I don't know. I've never gone that fast before. It just happened." She said. I could see the exhilaration on her face from flying and it was good to see her so happy for a change. Then Angel calmly spoke, "It's obvious isn't it? Max has a new power like Nudge."<br>Now I felt like a bit of a moron for not thinking about that myself. I'd heard Nudge gushing about being magnetic this afternoon when they were talking.

"Well, it is possible." Nudge began and then words exploded from her mouth. "OMG, this is so cool! I wonder if Iggy and Gazzy are also getting new powers. I bet they are. This is totally amazing! I wonder what your power is Fang-" Ella's hand covered her mouth and I shot her a grateful glance.  
>"I agree that his is seriously cool but there's still something we need to settle before we go into the details." Ella continued looking mischievous and I thought I knew what she was getting at.<br>"What's wrong?" Max asked when she heard Angel.  
>"Ella won the bet. You beat Fang so now we gotta pay up." Angel said a little sadly.<br>"And I was going to buy me those new sneakers!" Nudge whined.  
>I felt kinda guilty for letting them down. Hey, I was flattered that they thought me capable of beating our brave leader at anything, though, that was before they knew about her new ability.<p>

They all went to Ella's room then and I joined Max in the living room to wait for Dr. M, who was bringing home pizza.

"That was fun." Max said a little awkwardly, referring to the race, I assumed.  
>"You were amazing." I told her without thinking and I instantly regretted it. <em>She's my best friend! You don't just tell a best friend that they're amazing like that! <em>A voice in my head shouted at me.  
>"Thanks." She said and went to sit down on the couch for the second time today and again she leaned back and closed her eyes. I sat down beside her and for a while we just sat there. I was enjoying being so close to her.<p>

"I'm glad you're back." I told her, breaking our peaceful silence.  
>"Me too." She said as she moved her head to my shoulder. It was a nice feeling. I wanted to keep her there forever. <em>Man, again with the stupid mushy thoughts. What the heck<em>? I was surprised but pleased that she felt so comfortable around me. "I really missed you guys." She continued.

We heard the front door open and Max's mom came in with the pizza. I helped max up and we went to help Dr. M with the pizzas.  
>We all ate in the living room (the kitchen would be too crowded) and when Dr. M left to get sodas I leaned over to Max. I needed to know why she didn't tell me about Mrs. Daniels sooner. Didn't she trust me? "We need to talk." I said, expecting her to argue but she didn't.<br>"Okay, but not now. We can talk later, when my mom and the girls are asleep." I nodded at her as Mrs. Martinez came back. At least now I knew I'd get a moment alone with Max tonight. Then I could sort out everything and ask her why she didn't tell me about Mrs. Daniels.

I went to Max's room when she was in the shower and waited for her to come back. I looked around the room but she hadn't done anything to make it hers yet. After all, she didn't have much. I think I heard Ella mention they were going shopping before the movie on Saturday and I hoped that Max would be able to get herself something and not just settle for stuff Ella and Nudge picked out.

I looked up from where I was sitting on her bed as she walked into the room. She didn't look surprised to see me and she just took a seat next to me. For a moment we sat in silence and for some reason I had to fight the urge to hug her.

Suddenly she said, "Okay, fine, I know you want to talk and I will, but can I at least get dressed first?"  
><em>Oh, crap!<em> I thought. _She was still wrapped in a towel! Bad Fang!_ I scolded myself in my head. I nodded at Max and left her room, going in my own and flopping onto the bed. I lay there thinking about Max, who was just suddenly back in my life. It was a nice thought. I've missed her sarcasm and ability to get Angel to behave. I few minutes later I heard a knock on the door.

* * *

><p><span>AN: Okay, so thank you all for reading! I want to put in some nice Max/Fang moments in the next chapter. Let me know if you're for it.  
>As always, please REVIEW. I'm begging guys. On my knees.<p>

Also, anyone who can guess what is on Fang's favorite part of his ceiling will be mentioned as characters in future chapters. Just review and tell me.

Have a good week!


	6. Chapter 4, Secrets

**A/N:** Hey you all. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been hard with the exams and everything, but I've had plenty of time to come up with new ideas so I'm very excited about the rest of the story.

Thank you to all of you who added my story to your alerts and favorites. I feel so special and I appreciate every review btw I would love some more of those ;] )

Anyway, here is chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4, Secrets<strong>

**MaxPOV**

I felt a little silly knocking on Fang's door but I didn't want to just barge in. Unlike he gave me mere minutes ago; I'll give him his privacy. My face flushed as I thought of him seeing me in the towel.

He opened the door looking amused – again – and stepped aside so I could enter. _Well, he finds me just freaking hilarious today, doesn't he?_ I thought grumpily as I made my way into his room. I took a moment to look around. His room was very different from mine or even the one I had in New Jersey. My room was bare except for some clothes in the closet or maybe some homework stuff. Fang's room was filled with parts of him. There were posters on the wall and everything in the room had dark colors, which matched him perfectly. I imagined that if I opened a closet I would find several sets of black clothing.  
>I vaguely wondered where the money for all the decorations came from. My mom probably made quite a bit as a vet and I think she inherited some more from her grandmother but I'd have to ask her.<p>

I never considered what his room would be like. I've never bought or kept anything of sentiment because I always wanted to be ready incase we had to leave in a hurry. I felt kind of jealous that he hasn't been worrying about stuff like that but I snapped myself out of it. I might be able to live like that here, for a while, after all.

I took a seat in one of two black chairs in the room and looked at Fang, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. I was somewhat uncomfortable as I tried to figure out how to begin. He, of course, was completely silent and neutral as he waited for me to begin.  
>"Okay, look. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming. I know you're probably pissed and I get it. I probably would be too if it were me. I just didn't know what else to do! Were we supposed to just stay in New Jersey for two years by ourselves? I mean, Nudge wants to go to school and we didn't have enough cash for that. I figured if I at least brought <em>her<em> here she could get that and I could disappear again if I needed to." I let my head fall into my hands as I finished my little whispered rant. I waited for Fang to respond, but throughout my whole speech he just sat there with his usual blank expression. _Darn his unreadable face!_ I thought as I looked back at him.

I wanted to know how angry he was, because he definitely had to be angry. I kept very important information from him, after all, and we were best friends! I bet he feels betrayed and offended and, honestly, I would too if the situation was reversed.  
>"Just say it already." I snapped when he still hadn't said anything.<br>"Say what?" He asked innocently.  
>"That you're furious. That you think I'm a bad leader. That I'm the worst friend in the world for keeping this from you." I said miserably. I knew it was coming now.<p>

You must be wondering what the big deal is. I didn't tell him I was coming but I'm here safely and it worked out fine, right? Well, it's not so much the enormity of the secret as the fact that I kept it a secret. We were supposed to tell each other everything and not just big things but even things that don't really matter. I was afraid that Fang thought I didn't trust him anymore.

"Why would I say that?" he asked and I thought I heard surprise in his voice. With him you can never be too sure.  
>"Isn't that what you wanted to talk about?" I asked confused. This made no sense. I mean I'm glad he doesn't seem to be angry but I thought he would be and why else did he want to talk to me alone? <em>You're beginning to sound like Nudge in your head.<em> I thought to myself with wry humor.  
>"No. I just wanted to know how you were." He said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You thought I was mad at you?" He sounded incredulous. I froze for a moment as I realized that he was, in fact, not blaming me for anything at all and the next thing I knew I was across the room, hugging him.<br>"Thank you!" I said, relieved.  
>"No problem." Fang hugged me back and laughed quietly. I didn't even glare at him. I was too happy. <em>See, Max? You worry too much.<em> 'Oh, shut up.' I thought back to the voice in my head.

He released me but this time I sat down next to him on the bed, not wanting any space between us. I was filled with a new cheer and I loved the feeling of not having to worry about everything…for now, at least.  
>"As for your question; I've been busy, mostly. What about you?" I asked crossing my legs on the bed.<br>"Not much. The girls will tell you."  
>"I guess, but they don't know your opinions on everything and yours is safer to go on than theirs." I said. I really trusted his opinion over say, Ella's.<br>"For example; what have you been doing in our spare time?"  
>For some reason this made him look down. It was almost as if he didn't want to admit to something embarrassing. If Fang was embarrassed about something I was <em>so<em> going to find out.  
>"What is it?" I asked. He looked at me for a while, figuring out whether to tell me or not.<br>"I've been reading." He said. I stared at him for a while, trying to picture him reading a book. Then I tried imagining what kind of book would interest _Fang_.  
>"Okay… What have you been reading?" I asked again, trying to look like I wasn't as astonished as I was. Now he looked even more – I guess you could call it embarrassed, I'm not sure – and it made me even more curious. It couldn't be that bad, could it?<br>He looked away and mumbled something that sounded like 'lake' and 'deer' but I couldn't distinguish the words. I was still curious but I could tell he didn't want to tell me so I changed the subject. "Okay, so how's this school we'll be going to?" He looked relieved and started vaguely describing it. Mental Note: Ask Angel about school later.

Fang and I sat there talking for about an hour before I was too tired and decided to go to bed. I stopped when I was at the door.  
>"I really am sorry for not telling you. I meant it when I said that." I said, still feeling bad even though he had forgiven me.<br>"And I meant it when I said I was glad you're here. I've missed my best friend." He said and smirked at me. His smile sent a shiver down my spine but I hid it. I was going to have to have a serious talk with my emotions. They know they're supposed to stay hidden and under control! _You're scolding yourself._ A little voice in the back of my head informed me quietly. I was so wasn't going to think about this while standing here on Fang's threshold.  
>"Good night, Fang." I smiled and headed to my own room. I fell asleep feeling ecstatic that Fang was glad I was here.<p>

I woke up at about nine the next morning and headed downstairs for breakfast. I love sleeping in and nine was still early to me. It was just one more reason I didn't like school. Nudge and Angel were already in the kitchen and they were eating pancakes with syrup and I also identified the smell of toast as I entered.  
>They were apparently planning to go to a field nearby (Near if you can fly. If you walk it might take a while.) and Nudge asked if I wanted to join them. "Fang is coming too." She said seemingly trying to use that fact to convince me. It did actually make me want to go but I didn't want anyone to know what I've been feeling about Fang – and I had a sneaky suspicion that they had noticed something – so I kept my thoughts occupied by wondering about school and calmly replied, "No thanks. I'm going to hang out with Ella for a bit. We haven't chatted since we got here and then I want to check out the town. You know, get used to my new surroundings." Nudge seemed satisfied and almost surprised with my answer but started rambling again about some kind of flower that only grows in some or other mountain. After the third lecture of the day, you just kind of lose interest.<p>

I helped myself to some breakfast and headed upstairs to wake Fang. If I was going to do research I wanted to use his laptop. Just as I was about to knock again, the door opened and hit me full in the face. _Damn! Who puts in a door that opens into a hallway?_ I thought angrily as I grabbed my head in my arms and Fang stood frozen in the doorway. He seemed to snap out of it in a few seconds, "Damn, sorry. Are you okay?" he asked concerned, trying to help but not knowing how.  
>"Yeah, I'm good." I said, "Why does the door open <em>into the hallway<em>?"  
>"Poor planning by architects."<br>"I wanted to borrow your laptop. I burned Mrs. D's in New Jersey." I said, getting to the point of why I came upstairs, other than to be beaten up by Fang's door.  
>"Sure." He said and ducked back into the room. He came back with the laptop and handed it to me. "Not joining us, then?"<br>"No." I said, "I have some stuff to do but just make sure the girls don't get into too much trouble?" He nodded and headed down the stairs.

When I turned back to my room I noticed that his door was open a crack. I heard him and the girls go out the door downstairs and made a snap decision. I ducked into the room as quietly as I could. When I was inside I didn't really know why I came in anymore. It didn't look any different than it did last night, but, then again, last night I didn't really concentrate on the room so much as the person in it… As my eyes scanned the dark walls, I noticed a small difference in the texture, next to the window. It wasn't big and if I didn't have super bird vision, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. I put the laptop on the bed and headed to the wall.  
>When I brushed my hand over the wall I found that there was a thin slit running down about 5 inches, then left for another 5 and up again, making a square. I lightly tapped on the wall inside the square and then again outside. There was a distinct difference in the sound, as if there was a wooden board covering a hollow section in the wall. Was this a hidden compartment or something? In Fang's room? I listened carefully for some indication that Ella was nearby, but I soon heard the front door open and close. <em>Okay, the coast is clear.<br>_I took out a small pocket knife I carried in the back pocket of my jeans and jammed it into the slit. I quickly managed to pry away the wooden board to reveal a small opening in the wall. There was an envelope inside and nothing else. _Fang, what are you hiding in here?_ I thought and I was about to take the envelope when I heard the front door open again.

I knew it was probably Fang or one of the girls because they had a key and my mom wouldn't be home till the afternoon and it would be bad if either Fang or one of the girls caught me snooping around. I didn't want to cause trouble at the moment and I wanted to find out what was inside the envelope before I confronted anyone.  
>I hurriedly put the board back over the opening and made sure I left nothing behind before I raced back to my room with the laptop. I slammed my door shut, leapt onto the bed and started looking busy just in time for my door to open and Nudge's head to poke around it. Her hair was all over the place and her face was flushed, which meant she had just been flying. She was a little breathless but smiling as she looked at me from the door.<p>

"Max! You have to come and join us!" she said, excitement flowing from her features.  
>"I'm busy, Nudge, I'll join you some other time, 'Kay?" I said, trying to get her to just leave so I could go back to Fang's room.<br>"But, Max, there are wicked airstreams today! You have to come. There won't be winds like this any time soon and we all like flying when the weather's this good." She just wasn't going to give up so I tried coming up with something else to get out of this. On the other hand, it was _very _tempting to go with them. I could already feel the wind in my face as I imagined being up in the sky, floating through the air… Nudge must've seen something on my face because her face broke into a triumphant smile and she folded her arms across her chest.

I knew there was no turning back now so I gave in. "Fine, I'll be there in a minute. Just let me finish up here." I said, trying to prove that I was actually busy with something on the laptop, which I shut when she came in so she wouldn't see the blank screen.  
>She smiled and, for once, turned and left without another word.<p>

I put away the laptop and made my way outside. When I past the kitchen, I saw a note on the fridge. Happy for any reason to postpone going outside (I was still thinking about the envelope, after all and Angel would definitely notice that) I went over to read it.

_Max  
><em>_Hey, sorry, I know you wanted to hang out today, but I need to go to my friend's house today for an assignment we have to do for school.  
><em>_See you later!  
><em>_Ella_

At least that meant she wasn't here to see me doing my little detective run. I put the note in my pocket and walked out the front door. Outside, I walked to the field next to the house, checked to make sure no one was around, took a running start and took to the air with a few strong beats of my powerful wings. I flew higher and higher until I was above the fluffy white clouds that drifted through the air. I didn't fly _through_ the cloud, of course, incase you don't know this clouds are _wet._ I just went through a gap between the clouds and as soon as I did, I was hit by a big green beach ball. Without thinking about it, I caught the ball, swirled around in the air and hurled it back at Angel's head. She was facing the other way, pretending to be all innocent and if I had thought about what I was doing, she would have seen it in my thoughts and she would've been prepared. As it was I didn't think about it, she wasn't warned and the beach ball hit the back of her head, making her flip forward through the air a few times before she righted herself and turned to see who'd done that.  
>By then I was laughing so hard my eyes blurred and around me I could see fuzzy images of Nudge holding her side and trying to keep flying through her giggles. Even Fang was smiling. "You're gonna pay for that." Angel said evilly, lifted the ball from behind her small back and flung it at me. I made a neat loop and dodged it easily. Nudge went after the ball, which was falling to the ground far below and I flew closer to the rest of the flock.<p>

"I see you decided to join us." Angel said smiling. "How did Nudge get you to come? I thought you were hanging out with Ella today, anyway."  
>"Ella went to a friend's house so I was just checking some stuff out on the internet."<p>

We spent the rest of the afternoon flying around and occasionally chucking the beach ball at each other. We practiced our loops and flips on the airstreams, which were as powerful as Nudge had said, and enjoyed the wind in our faces. I focused on thinking about the pleasures of flying, just incase Angel was scanning through our thoughts. No matter how many times I tell her to stop doing that, I still catch her reading my mind at any random time.

"We should get back." Fang's voice startled me and my wings missed a beat. How was he always so damn quiet?  
>I steadied myself and turned to look at him.<br>"Yeah, it's getting dark. Come on guys! Time to go!" I called to the girls, who were still trying to hit each other with the beach ball. They grudgingly followed me back home, where we all landed silently in the back yard.

We entered the house and the smell of my mom's delicious chicken greeted us.

"Hello, guys, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." My mom, called over to us from the kitchen.  
>"Thanks, Dr M." Nudge and Angels said together, before bursting out in a series of giggles that lasted all the way into their room. Fang and I joined my mom in the kitchen, sitting down at the counter and eating some of the chips, my mom had put in a bowl.<br>"Where's Ella?" I asked. I haven't seen her since we entered the house.  
>"She's sleeping over at her friend's house. How was your day?" She looked at us both but obviously I was the only one who answered.<br>"It was awesome. The air currents were wonderful today." Fang just nodded in agreement.

We chatted for another few minutes before my mom called the girls for dinner. We all sat down and ate like it was going out of style. A whole day of flying burnt a lot of calories, so it was a good thing my mom always made enough food for ten people.  
>As we were eating, my mom looked at me. "So, Max, you'll never guess who called today."<p>

* * *

><p>AN: So that's the chapter! Sorry I had to stop it there, but I have to save some for the next chapters. This one was already the longest one yet, so you can't complain.

I'm disappointed that only one of you guessed correctly on what was on Fang's ceiling. Come on guys, its not that hard. Just REVIEW and tell me what you think. Remember to leave your name so I'll know what to call you in coming chapters. I want to include you!

Anyway, thanks for reading. It means a lot to me. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'll try to get the next one done by the end of the week.  
>Have a great week!<br>Janxi


	7. Chapter 5, News

**A/N:**** Hey everyone, I've decided to give you this chapter sooner to make up for my absence. Thank you to all of you who keep adding this story to your alerts and favs. I appreciate it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! **

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far.

_Recap:_ _As we were eating, my mom looked at me. "So, Max, you'll never guess who called today."_

**Chapter 5, News**

I stopped eating and my body automatically tensed. I hate surprises and this definitely counted as surprising. Nobody was even supposed to know we existed, let alone how to call us! _Max, you're getting ahead of yourself_. Right, I took a deep breath, loosened my muscles and tried to look calm. I returned to eating but the food wasn't as appealing as before, now that my stomach was in such a tight knot.  
>"Who?" I asked my mom, curiosity plain on my face. I glanced at Fang, who sat across the table from me, and the expression on his face almost made me forget where I was. He was looking intently at me and his eyes were two deep black pools of worry. Wait, what? Was Fang <em>worried<em> about something? This couldn't be good. My mom interrupted my thinking.  
>"Iggy and Gazzy!" she nearly squealed at the end of her sentence and I froze, shocked by this sudden bit of information. Nudge actually did squeal and she and Angel started talking at once.<br>"Whoa, wait a second, guys!" I said and they lowered their voices a bit but didn't stop chatting about, well, I didn't really care what they were chatting about.

I turned back to my mom. "Why did they call? Are they alright?"  
>"They said they were fine but they wanted to know if they could come here early. They should be here by the end of the week." She didn't say any more and she kept her eyes focused on her plate. Something was either very wrong or there was something I missed and since I'm not the type of person to miss anything, I was thinking it was the first one. The girls, however, were even more ecstatic about the news and were just about to start screaming, but the look on my face stopped them. Another look at Fang told me he was, once again, thinking more along my train of thought.<br>"Why do they need to come early?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but the thing about being the leader is that you _need_ to know things like this.  
>"They're location was discovered by The School. They're currently on the run but they managed to grab some money before they escaped and used it at a pay phone in Iowa." When she finished speaking, my mom looked at all of us in turn. It was unbelievably quiet, this last piece of news managed to completely stifle the girls' excitement. Now they all looked at me, the trusted leader, to do something. I still had one more question, but I kind of thought I knew what the answer would be. If it had just been me and Fang, I would've asked away, but since there were others present I had to make sure first.<p>

"How did the school find out where they were?"  
>My mom's face fell and she looked away from me while she answered.<br>"They were betrayed." She said, simply. That one sentence was enough to confirm my suspicions and I was instantly furious. I slammed my fork onto the table. The girls seemed startled by my sudden mood change but Fang, as usual, showed no sign that he was surprised by anything.

"Who betrayed them?" He asked my mom, but I already knew the answer.  
>"Jeb Batchelder." I said, not waiting for my mom's answer. Her bowed head was answer enough. Now even Fang's face showed the faintest hint of astonishment as I shot up out of my chair and stormed out of the room.<br>I could hear them moving around and talking. Somebody may have called me back, but I was too angry too care. I kept on walking until I reached the field next to the house and I headed to the huge tree that stood nearby. It gave very good cover if you were a genetically mutated bird-kid, trying to take off, unseen and in a hurry.  
>I took off with three powerful flaps of my wings and shot into the air. I didn't know where I was heading until I got there. It was a big tree in the middle of a small forest. I knew this tree very well, not just because of it's size but it was where we buried Ari three years ago, before we split up. I moved around the tree a few times and into the little clearing that surrounded Ari's tree, then I climbed up and sat in one of the thick branches.<p>

Poor Ari. He was the reason I didn't trust Jeb anymore. After we escaped from the school for the first time, Jeb was desperate. He had still been a whitecoat back then, or, at least it hadn't been a secret that he was a whitecoat back then.  
>Anyway, he was so desperate to catch us that he turned his own son into an Eraser. Erasers were half-man half-wolf mutations, just another one of the School's fabulous ideas. They were initially sent after us only to bring us back to the School, but when that didn't work, they were given orders to kill us on sight. We stayed out of their way pretty well. We were smart, fast and strong whereas they were just strong. They're limbs didn't quite fit, which made them clumsy, and since they were mostly around the ages of 4 to 8 years old and their minds were filled with rage and blood hunger, they weren't they most intelligent beings around.<br>Well, we were obviously better off and the fact that we could fly also played in our favor. We took care of most of them and those we missed only lasted a few more months anyway, as they never lived long enough to reach puberty. Some aspect of their mutation must have shortened their natural life span.  
>All in all, the Erasers were a huge failure against us and Jeb realized that. Then he did the most horrible thing I could think of. He took his seven-year-old son, Ari, and turned him into an Eraser. As if that wasn't enough, he also added wings to his son's new form by attaching them to Ari's spine. So now Ari was the first Eraser ever created after the age of five days old and he was also the only one with wings.<p>

Jeb sent Ari after us then, and he caught up to us, but he was tired of his father's obsession with us and he let us go. He headed back to the School and was halfway through destroying the building when he was shot and killed by one of the other whitecoats. That is when Jeb claimed to have left the School. He said that he couldn't continue to work with them after what they did to his son.  
>But how could that be true when he did the worst possible thing to Ari. I didn't buy it, but my mom trusted him so I gave him a chance. I gave him a chance and he betrayed us!<p>

My mental ranting was interrupted by a twig snapping below the tree. I launched myself out off the branch and fell on the stranger, grabbing him in a chokehold. Then I recognized him, and I released, taking a few steps back.  
>Fang turned around lightly feeling at his neck and gave me a knowing look.<br>"What are you doing here?" I asked him as I lowered myself to sit on the leaf covered forest floor.  
>"I just came to see if you were okay." He said and came to sit down next to me. I didn't answer him and I started tearing one of the leaves apart.<br>"So, are you okay?" he asked again.  
>"No, I'm not." I said, not meeting his eyes but I knew he was looking at me. I could feel his eyes on my face and even though he didn't say anything I knew he was silently asking if I wanted to talk about it.<br>"I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to they guys." I said, "I knew Jeb wasn't to be trusted and I still let them go with him." I threw the torn remains of the leaves I was holding across the small clearing. "Now, they're in danger and it's all my fault."  
>"No." Fang said and I was surprised at the intensity in his voice, "It is <em>not<em> your fault, Max. We all trusted him."  
>"Don't do that, Fang. Don't lie, I know you only went along with it because I said it was okay. And you were right. If I'd only listened to you back then, we wouldn't be in this mess." He didn't argue, he knew I was right<em>. <em>He just sat there next to me and for a while there was silence.  
>"We never should've split up in the first place." I said, suddenly. "It was a stupid idea and– " I couldn't finish because Fang's hand had covered my mouth. Startled I looked at his face. He looked kind of angry, but not really. It was Fang after all.<br>"Max," He said, "You need to stop blaming yourself for this. Yes, it was your idea and yes, it didn't work but we all agreed to go with it. We've been in tough situations millions of times before and _you_ were the one who got us out of it every time. This is just another problem in our messed up lives and we need you to get through it. You're no good to anybody if you fill your head with all this guilt so please just accept that this did not happen because of you."

I just stared blankly at him for a few minutes, totally dumbfounded. This was one of Fang's very, very rare speeches. I was stunned by how much he'd said and I was also processing his words. He was right, as usual. The flock needed me, their fearless leader, to get them out of trouble. Only, I wasn't fearless. At the moment I was terrified, terrified because two members of my family weren't here. But I am Maximum Ride. I could do this, because I _had_ to do this. There was no other choice. I would suck it up and do what I do best, take care of the flock. I turned back to Fang, who was watching me with a worried look on his face.

"I'm sorry." I said and took a deep breath, "You're right. Just give me a minute to pull myself together."  
>He smiled at me and fell back into the leaves, pulling me with him so we both lay there, looking at the little bits of sky that was visible through the trees. After a few more minutes he spoke again.<br>"You back together again?" he asked. I sighed, still admiring the forest above us.  
>"Yes."<br>"We should get back. It's getting late."  
>"Kay." I said but I didn't move.<br>He chuckled quietly and I heard the leaves rustle as he stood up. Then he reached his hand out to me and helped me up as well. He turned away and moved a few feet away to an open space to take off.  
>"Fang?" I said just as he was about to spread his wings. He turned back to me, not speaking but giving me all his attention. "Thank you." I said, crossing the distance between us.<br>"For what?" he asked, curious.  
>"For being there for me." I said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."<br>He smiled a dazzling smile and hugged me tightly.  
>"Well, then, it's my pleasure." He said and I hugged him back. We stood there for a while before we decided to head back to the house.<p>

When we arrived, the others had all gone to bed and the house was quiet as we headed upstairs to our rooms. We said a whispered goodnight and I went to bed. I lay there for a while, thinking about possible solutions to our many problems. After a while I began to feel better. I felt more prepared and in control of the situation as I planned strategies in my head.  
>Tomorrow I would start looking around the neighborhood for possible places to hide or meet or train and when the guys get here, I could see if they had any new information.<br>Even if they didn't we'd make it through this, because together the flock was unstoppable. It was also comforting to know that if I ever got stuck again, fang would be there to help me out, like he always did.

I was feeling that much more optimistic as I was about to fall asleep but then, just as I slipped away into unconsciousness, I remembered something that sent a chill down my spine. Fang was hiding something in his wall. In that envelope was something he didn't want anyone to know about, not even me. I fell asleep hoping that it wasn't going to add another problem to our lives. We really already had as much as we could take.

**A/N:** There you go everybody. I apologize for the shortness of the chapter but I'm rushing to give you more.  
>Please review and tell me what you think. Let me know if there is anything you would like to add to the story or if you think something isn't right. I'll try to take care of it.<p>

Thank you all for reading my story and enjoy the rest of your day!

Janxi


	8. Chapter 6, Makeover

**A/N: Oh, crap, guys. You all must probably hate me for seemingly abandoning you. (I didn't, I promise) I feel that saying sorry would be insulting so let me just say I regret it… a lot. I, totally get it if you are furious and I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they scolded me in a review. Go ahead, I deserve it. There have been hundreds of things keeping me from writing but life has calmed down just a little so I'm continuing where I left off.**

Disclaimer: At the moment I don't deserve credit for anything written in this chapter.

_Recap: I was feeling that much more optimistic as I was about to fall asleep but then, just as I slipped away into unconsciousness, I remembered something that sent a chill down my spine. Fang was hiding something in his wall. In that envelope was something he didn't want anyone to know about, not even me. I fell asleep hoping that it wasn't going to add another problem to our lives. We really already had as much as we could take._

**Chapter 6, Makeover**

MaxPOV

The next few days were pretty uneventful. I spent some time wandering around the house and the fields around the farm. This isn't a very busy part of Arizona. Mostly a few small farms (well, small for a farm) most of which were standing empty. Our entire street only had about five houses, which were spaced quite far apart with several trees in between. This was a good thing as it meant there were less people around to notice the four weird bird kids frequently taking to the skies from the farm at the end of the abnormally quiet road. After a few more races – Fang was really pissed that I beat him the first time – we discovered that the farm next to ours was pretty much abandoned and that made it a great place for us to hang out. My mom's house was awesome but we just needed some more space sometimes and my mom definitely deserved some quiet time. So we cleaned the old rotten farmhouse up a bit and Nudge, being the technical genius she is, installed some old computers she found in the basement as well as a very expensive looking TV that Angel magically produced. I'm too scared to ask where it came from…

The new house – or shack depending on who looked at it and from which angle – also served as a very good excuse for my and Nudge's sudden appearance at the school. Our original cover story about being my mom's nieces was kind of a long shot and now we would just say that we were the new residents of the farm neighboring the veterinarian's house.  
>Tomorrow at the movies Fang would introduce us as Krystal and Jessica Burke. I was not exactly thrilled about returning to my old stupid alias but the flock assured me that using our real names would just attract unnecessary attention to us. Just in case you have not been paying attention to our messed up lives or have the memory of some silly blue fish in some animated movie I once watched with Nudge, our names aren't exactly what you would call… well, they're not <em>normal.<em> The reason for this? We picked them ourselves when we were still in dog crates.  
>This still didn't mean I wanted to use an alias. When I still grumbled they told me that they were all using fake names at school. This surprised me. It was usually just me being so overly paranoid, which is why I made Nudge use an alias back in New Jersey, though there her name was Tiffany for a while.<br>"Yeah, Max, Fang made Angel use one since their first day here." Ella said. Ah, Fang… I have seriously underestimated him this last three years. I always thought he'd be too happy to be rid of my endless rules. I knew he and the other boys thought I was a stick in the mud and most of the time I actually agreed with them but the thing is that without all my boring rules we would most likely not have made it this far.  
>I felt a pang of hurt when I thought about the boys. How far have they flown since yesterday? Did they find a place to sleep? Are they hurt? I wished with everything in me that they were okay… and that I was with them. No matter what Fang said or how much sense it made, I still believed that it was my fault that two of my brothers were in danger at the moment. But I couldn't help them right now. I had to put on my brave face and help the rest of my family who were sitting around me expecting me to be clearheaded and come up with a believable cover story. So I sent a mental good luck to Iggy and Gazzy and turned my focus back to our cover.<br>The others' fake names were Nick (Fang) and Ariel (Angel). Ella obviously didn't have a nickname but we couldn't really do much about that.

We would say we are staying with Nudge's dad and that I was her adopted sister. If anybody asked why Mr. Burke was never around we would tell them that his job kept him very busy and he often had to work late, his job being an astrological scientist. I myself had absolutely no idea what an astrological scientist was but the others all assured me that anyone at our school was very likely to be far better and more thoroughly educated than I am. Isn't that just the best compliment!  
>But whatever our fake dad's job was kept him so busy that Nudge and I had to stay all alone in the old abandoned farmhouse – in reality the farmhouse was to be more like a clubhouse where we could hang out and most importantly the place Iggy and Gazzy would be doing their bomb-making – looking after ourselves until he came home from work. Our cover further included our father's supposed agreement with our new friendly neighbor, Dr Martinez that said we were to go to her if we were ever in need of anything. You might think this is irrelevant information in a cover story but we were not taking any chances.<br>I certainly had my doubts about this whole plan but I was robbed of my opportunity to speak them when Ella and Nudge tugged me into their – hideously girly – room claiming that they had to "make me presentable" for our scheduled movie which we would only be leaving for in _four hours._ What could they possibly do to me that would take so long? My mom and Ella excused themselves and said they were going to go drop some equipment off at her office/clinic and swiftly left me alone with the two little she-devils.  
>I was still stalling and trying to come up with a realistic excuse when the pink door closed and Fang's grinning face disappeared behind it. I was never going to hear the end of this.<p>

They both worked on me simultaneously after they sent me to take a shower and use rose-scented soapy gooey stuff as well as rose scented shampoo and conditioner. When I returned all drippy and smelling like a bouquet, Ella began doing my make-up while Nudge yanked at my hair with a complicated looking comb. I found it amazing that they could work over each other while using so many different styling objects and not getting in each other's way, dropping something, spilling something or hurting me. What astounded me most, though, was how terribly long they took!  
>For an entire hour I was instructed to sit on a chair, look straight in front of me and occasionally lift my chin or turn my head. If at any time I deviated from these instructions or did them wrong I was hit on the head or arms with whichever tool the girls were holding. When said tool happened to be a scalding hot curling iron it is smarter to cooperate. So I let them play Barbie doll with me but I did so with constant insults and complaints and the overall voicing of my displeasure and discomfort.<br>When they were _finally_ done pulling my hair and poking at my eyes, with something I believe to be more of a torture mechanism than make up, I was lead to their closet which was filled with more clothes than I thought they could afford. By now I was pretty much tired of fighting with them so I behaved like a good little girly girl and tried on all the outfits they picked out for me. NOT. Maximum Ride was not going down without a fight. My constant stream of pessimistic remarks couldn't wipe the stupid smiles off either of their faces though, which took quite a bit of the fun out of it. Unable to break their spirits, I was told to try on some clothes. I agreed to try on five, but refused to even go near the dresses or shoes with heals higher than my thumb. They actually had heals that were about six inches high! Who wore those? I seriously hope they didn't, though I couldn't think why else they'd even own them. Anyway, eventually I ended up in a purple blouse that covered my wings but not much else and a very, very short white skirt _without_ leggings and some white shoes with delicate straps. I tried as best I could – and believe me that is saying something – but I could not change their minds about the fact that these shoes had very dainty and fragile heels! I felt hugely exposed and rather uncomfortable but I could at least walk steadily (kinda) and because I couldn't wait to get away from these two little evil torturers, I just smiled and said I liked it but I was so not loving the idea of leaving this room looking like I did. I hoped I at least looked natural.  
>This was going to be a long night. Lets just hope they didn't have cameras…<p>

FangPOV

I waited around the house for a while and grabbed something to eat out of the fridge. Then I watched television for half an hour until I was bored with that too. I decided to go upstairs to see if I could find anything interesting to do. For a while I played some lame computer games and then I wrote some more on my blog. Yes, I have my own blog. I just kinda write about my life as a teenage lab experiment gone wrong. Not that I'm depressed or mopey about it, though. I just think it sucks and so do the rest of us. I am just thankful there is a 'rest of us'. And yes, I know that sounds totally mean and selfish and all those other bad words so don't get me wrong; I would never wish my life on anybody else. Its just nice to have someone who's in the same boat, you know? Someone who understands how hard it is to be so different and in so much constant never-ending danger.  
>We were all glad we had each other. Nudge and Iggy would probably die without each other. They've been best friends since we escaped from the School the first time. They were both still very young. We all were, in fact. Angel and Gazzy are completely dependent of one another with the whole brother sister thing. They're pretty much inseparable.<br>Personally, I don't really fit in easily with them. The only one I can almost fully relate to – and have a descent conversation with – is Iggy and even then the conversation doesn't stay descent for long. I swear that kid watches way too many adult movies and I don't even want to know where he gets his magazines!

And then of course there's Max. She was the first member of the flock I remember meeting when I was trapped in that horrible dog crate. She's had my back ever since and I have absolutely no idea how she manages to do everything she does. She's never sloppy or immature and she never loses her patience when she's working to explain something to the younger kids. She is an amazing leader, who always has a plan even if she has no time to think of one. She never shows doubt or confusion or surprise, but most of all, she never – and I mean NEVER – shows fear. Especially in front of the enemy. She is way too proud and that might be her only flaw. Her pride.

Anyway, I've been daydreaming about Max for much too long to be considered natural. I spent another few minutes cleaning my room, which didn't take too long because there isn't much to clean. It's been two hours since Max had disappeared into the girls' room with that hilariously freaked out expression on her face. I can't help but laugh a little when I remember that expression. Only a little bit though, the silent Fang isn't supposed to have random laughing fits. It would make him seem normal and we wouldn't want that now, would we?  
>I was getting curious as to what the girls were doing to Max. Whatever it was I was pretty sure she hated every bit of it. I did kind of want to see what Max would look like if she were all dressed up. It was a hard mental picture to form. It went against everything anyone knew about Maximum Ride. This was getting very boring. I really need some guy company. I'd been hanging out with a bunch of girls too long.<br>I sat on the big beige couch in the little sitting room slash TV room area, leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

I had just about fallen asleep – no judging, we have super fast metabolisms and we get tired easily if we don't eat like freaking pigs – when the door burst open and Angel rushed out. By the way-too-excited look on her face I could tell she and Nudge were done with Max. This was going to be good… I straightened up on the couch as Angel started announcing to the entire neighborhood that Max was "prettier than ever" and that everyone had to "gather in the living room" to see her. I had this crazy mental picture of random street-goers walking in the front door and sitting expectantly on the various chairs in the living room… anyway, as I was already in the living room, I just sat there and stared at Angel with a bored expression on my face.  
>"Aren't you excited to see the new Max?" she asked me, somewhat disappointed in my lack of enthusiasm but not letting it wipe that annoyingly wide smile off her face. I only shrugged back. In truth, I was very excited to see Max – not necessarily the <em>new<em> Max, but Max. I wasn't going to let Angel know that, though. I had spent way too many years perfecting the mental wall that kept her out of my mind to let it slip now. I have noticed that my wall didn't block everything, though. It stopped her from reading my thoughts directly but I was pretty sure she could still pick up the general emotions I felt. So I hid my excitement with my awesome poker face and tried to replace it with amusement by imagining Max's face when she came out of that room.

I was left alone with my thoughts as Ella and Dr. Martinez entered and sat down next to me on either side of the couch. With a shock, I realized that I hadn't noticed them come back from their little delivery trip to her office (which I suspected to be more of an escape route, by the way). I needed to start focusing, I scolded myself as Angels fired up again.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," what was this, one of those lame singing competitions? "Ladies and gentle_man_ I give you the new and improved Maximum ride!" she gestured wildly to the door and the three of us obediently directed our attention to it, but nothing happened.  
>At least, nothing happened right away.<br>After about three seconds we heard some muffled banging sound coming from the closed door, some mumbled words and then the door flew open to reveal one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Nudge was visible first but she had her back to us as she clung onto Max who was furiously trying to get back in the room. Nudge had grabbed her from behind and had her hands locked around Max's waist and she was pulling and tugging, trying to get Max away from the doorframe, which she was clutching in an attempt to stay in the room.  
>"Max, let go!" Nudge managed to get out between tugs. You could hear the strain in her voice and I was immensely glad that I wasn't the one she was pulling so violently.<br>"No!" Max yelled, "You can't make me go out there, Nudge!"  
>"Max," Angel piped up, "Don't be a baby, just come in here."<br>"No!" But just then Nudge finally pulled Max free of the doorframe and dragged her to where we were frozen on the couch. I had been watching this scene and had to fight very hard not to laugh my ass off, but dr. Martinez and Ella were pictures of shock and astonishment with wide eyes and open mouths.

Angel stood by the door looking very exasperated while Nudge finally got Max to stand still – even though she wasn't facing us. I couldn't see my own face but I just hoped that I could change the hysterical laughter in my eyes into merely vague amusement.  
>"Are you two quite finished?" Angel asked sounding like one of the teachers at school when they scolded two little boys for fighting in the hallway. This girl needed to tone down her attitude or she would start to annoy me.<br>Nudge merely gave her a nod while Max ignored her completely. This didn't seem to bother Angel in the slightest.  
>"Now," she continued turning to her little audience again, "I give you the new and improved…"<br>"I'm not improved, just girlified." Max cut in earning her a whack on the arm from Nudge and a stern look from Angel as she finished her sentence, "…Maximum Ride."

Seeing that Max wasn't planning on cooperating, Nudge took her hand and spun her around to face us.  
>"Max!" Ella squealed (how I hated squealing) "You look <em>amazing<em>!"  
>"You look lovely, darling." Dr. M said with a smile.<br>They burst into applause and Angel and Nudge shared a bow, glad that their handiwork was being appreciated. The, suddenly, like they gave some kind of signal, they all turned to face me with pointed looks. All, but Max, who was looking completely miserable in her new outfit. She was wearing a purple top, that was almost too revealing, a _short_ skirt that gave me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach and some very uncomfortable-looking strappy shoes. She looked gorgeous but the pained look on her face was so not worth it. At the moment, though, I had four females looking at me like I was meant to do something I didn't. I would never understand the female mind. I gave them my best "What?" face but it didn't seem to do much.  
>"Well…?" Ella finally asked.<br>"Well, what?"  
>"What do you think?" sounding irritated.<br>"About?"  
>"About Max! What do you think about her new look?"<br>"Does it matter?" I asked, trying not to have too much fun playing dumb.  
>"Of course it matters!" Nudge almost screamed.<br>"Why?" It wasn't like I knew anything about fashion. I just wore black all the time.  
>"We need a guy's opinion. Now what do you think about Max's makeover?"<p>

I sighed, I wasn't getting out of this one and I knew it. They knew that I knew it.  
>"Its nice." I said and their faces lit up like a Christmas tree. "But unnecessary." I added stopping them from doing their weird little happy celebration dance. As soon as I said it I knew it was a mistake. This is why it safer to keep silent. I didn't enjoy speaking and I've learned what to say to keep from doing so. Saying what I just said was not the way to keep me out of the conversation. Now even Max looked like she was paying attention.<br>"What do you mean unnecessary?" Nudge asked and you could hear the shadow of a warning in her voice as they all approached me.  
>"Uhm, if you all will excuse me, I need to head back to the office. I forgot to, err, pack away the syringes." Dr. M said and stood up. She knew when trouble was coming and didn't want to sit in the middle of it. I knew too, but I didn't have an excuse to leave. Before she disappeared through the door, she turned around.<br>"Max, honey, you really do look beautiful. You girls did a wonderful job. I'll be back with dinner tonight." Then she left and there was silence. We heard the engine of her car start and then dive away. Now I was in trouble…

Nudge and Angel sat down in two of the four maroonish chairs in the room while Max just leaned against the wall behind them. She was trying to look disinterested but was failing.  
>"Explain." Nudge ordered. "Why don't you like Max's makeover?"<br>"I do like it." Man how I liked it. Don't go putting words in my mouth.  
>"Fine, why is it unnecessary?"<p>

I sighed, again, Max was now openly looking at me and I could tell she wanted to hear the answer too. It was too soon to tell what would happen if she did not _like_ my answer but I was pretty sure it would be bad. I looked back at Nudge.  
>"Did Max want the makeover?" I asked. The question seemed to confuse her.<br>"Uh, no." She said frowning. I looked at Angel.  
>"I guess not." She said.<br>"Definitely not." Max butted in and moved closer to sit on the arm of the couch. Ella sat silently watching, but not taking part in the conversation.  
>"Was there something wrong with the way she looked before?"<br>Angel was about to answer, but a glared from Max shut her up. She sighed.  
>"No, I guess not."<br>"Not really." Nudge said, having more guts than Angel.  
>Max looked slightly offended, but stayed silent. She had slid down from the arm and was now next to me on the couch. I tried not to stare at her beautiful face for too long and turned back to Nudge.<br>"Did it make her life easier in any way?" By the smile on Ella's face I knew I had them. She was enjoying this way too much.  
>"Hell, no." Max said grumpily.<br>"No." Angel sighed. She looked so defeated I almost felt bad. Almost.  
>"Well, no but – "<br>"Then it was unnecessary." I said, stooping Nudge in mid-sentence.  
>"Thank you!" Max said "I'm siding with Fang from now on." She said and scooted closer to me to emphasize her statement. I tried not to be so happy about that.<p>

**A/N: So there, guys. I gave you an extra long chapter. I know it won't make up for anything but I still hoped you enjoyed it and that you please REVIEW? **

**I have no right to make excuses but if you're interested here is mine: After the last chapter I suffered severe writers block for weeks. Then exams started, which lead to a nervous breakdown. When I recovered from that it was exam time again and now its holidays and I have found my inspiration again. Not much of an excuse, I know but its all I got.**

**The next chapter will probably feature Iggy and Gazzy coming home, but I'll see what you guys think first. And how do you feel about FangPOV? I enjoy writing both POVs but if you prefer one over the other, just tell me in a REVIEW and I'll do it. The next chapter should be up in about two days…maybe three?**

**Thank you so much to those of you who read this and I hope you have great holidays!  
>Janxi<strong>


	9. Chapter 7, Worries

**A/N: Hey again, guys. I have been receiving many emails telling me added this story to favorite and alerts, but I only got ONE review. Come on, guys, you can do better than that.**

**Also for those of you who aren't perfect Max Ride fans (Don't worry i'm not one either) CSM = Coalition to Stop the Madness. It's a group that Dr. M helped to start to fight global warming as stuff. Anyway, just some info I forgot to give you in the beginning of the story; Mrs. Daniels was also part of the CSM. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used so far… at least not the ones you recognize.

**Chapter 7, Worries**

MaxPOV

The girls looked heartbroken after Fang's little speech. All except Ella who seemed to be having the freaking time of her life. I, being a true leader who cared enormously for the two sad little girls in front of her, did what any other responsible bird-kid leader would do. I sat there and grinned triumphantly from the couch. Fang didn't seem too worried about their crushed feeling either. Not that he was mean or anything, the girls would most likely get over it by tonight, when they had other people to focus on. By the way, I still wasn't thrilled about meeting these new "friends" they'd made.  
>I didn't know why though. Maybe it was because I was jealous that they had made friends and had been enjoying life here in Arizona while I was being miserable in New Jersey with one of my mom's CSM buddies. Anyway Fang wasn't being as polite as he could have been, not that he is great with words, I have to admit. Almost complete silence will do that to you. But his silence was great for other things, like keeping secrets. I remembered how I used to trust him with my secrets more than anyone when we were still trapped in those awful dog crates.<br>My mind flashed to the little white envelope in his bedroom wall and it felt like all the smugness I felt drained out of me and was replaced by… I don't even know what I felt but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. I decided I needed another chance to go through his room. I just couldn't do it when he was home, or anywhere near the house for that matter. Super bird-kid hearing is darn handy at times but in this situation it only made my life harder.  
>I needed to find I way to get him to leave for a couple of hours. <em>Or you could just ask him what's in it.<em> My muscles tensed and I almost thought my "voice" was back. Then I remembered that my voice would never come back,_ could_ never come back, thanks to those wonderful mad scientists at the School. No, this was just that annoying part of my mind that was always rational and patient and understanding.  
>Basically it was the part of my mind that I usually shut down, tied up and threw in a box.<p>

"Max, you alright?" Fang asked pulling out of my twisted thoughts. He had been looking at me for a while now and must have noticed something on my face because his was …well, its always hard to tell with fang but it looked to me like he was worried… or at least curious.  
>"I'm fine." I lied cheerfully, smiling up at him. I could see I he knew I was lying – he always knew when I was lying – and I waited for him to call me on it but he didn't. Maybe he didn't notice after all, I thought to myself. Yeah, right. I was pretty sure he knew and it made me somewhat suspicious that he seemed to ignore it. I wouldn't be so calm if he lied to me, and up until know I thought he felt the same way.<p>

The girls had recovered by now and were babbling about the movie we were going to be watching. Speaking of which, when were these friends of theirs going to arrive? It was almost six o'clock. Yes, we had wasted the entire day playing Barbie doll and I was getting tired of these stupid unnecessary clothes.  
>The shoes were the worst. The thin straps were cutting into my feet and the delicate heels (they weren't very high but their thinness made up for it) were not made for running from Erasers or Flyboys or ninjas or whatever the School would send after us next. I also had to keep from slipping on the tiles in the hallway so the mall would be down right dangerous.<p>

I jumped a little when the phone rang and snapped me back to reality again. Fang gave me a meaningful look but stayed quiet, as usual. Angel rushed to answer the phone as Nudge and Ella went to dress up and get ready too.  
>It didn't take so long with them because they were practically experts at it and they didn't need to be held down through the whole thing. I felt a smidge of pride at being able to at least make their favorite pasted the slightest bit less fun for them.<p>

Fang and I were suddenly alone on the couch and I couldn't understand why that made my blood boil and my heart race. I looked at Fang, who didn't seem to be bothered at all…and why should he be? I really wanted the answer to that because obviously I was being bothered quite a bit.  
>I jumped again –what the heck is wrong with me today anyway? Maximum Ride is never jumpy! – when I felt Fang's hand on my arm.<br>"You okay?" he asked softly and I found myself being sucked into his dark, dark eyes. I snapped out of it and quickly looked at hid shoulder instead.  
>"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked and I noticed that I didn't sound very friendly. To my dismay, I saw Fang's face fall just I tiny bit.<br>"You seem a little tense." He said and I don't know if I imagined it but I could've sworn he sounded hurt. I only nodded back at him.  
>"The boys will be fine." He said, probably thinking that was what I was worried about. I just nodded again, even though it wasn't a question.<br>"What's wrong?" Man he was persistent.  
>"Nothing is wrong, Fang." I couldn't help the shiver that ran up my spine when I said his name. What the hillbilly was going on with me?<br>"Don't lie, Max" He didn't sound angry or anything but I wished he would drop the subject already. I didn't know what was wrong myself and that was part of the problem. I was just about to tell that to him when a very deflated-looking Angel trudged into the room.  
>"They can't make it anymore." She said miserably and I assumed she meant our movie group but I stopped myself quickly. <em>Don't assume, Max<em> I told myself_ it makes an ASS out of U and ME._ I chuckled mentally at my own stupid joke and returned my attention to Angel.  
>"Sam and Mike are grounded for downloading illegal music and stuff. The girls are away on a surprise vacation to Hawaii with their family and they only left about an hour ago so they forgot to let us know. Lissa in busy with some kind of emergency which probably means she can't find her favorite shoes or something." She sighed and her golden curls drooped around her disappointed little face.<br>"What about Jake?" Fang asked and I vaguely wondered if they even knew I was still in the room and had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently they didn't think it important to explain anything to me so I just continued to listen.  
>"I don't know where the heck he is. Nobody's seen him." By the way she said that I got this feeling that nobody really <em>wanted<em> to see him. Guess Jake wasn't their favorite friend but I didn't say anything. Don't judge people too early and all that.  
>Fang didn't really respond to this and Angel left to go tell the girls.<p>

***L***I***N***E*** ***B***R***E****A***K***

The girls still wanted to see the movie, so they left for the theatre at around six thirty. Fang was up in his room doing… well, Fang-stuff, I guess, while I was sitting on the little porch in the back yard drinking hot chocolate from a mug that said "Chocoholics are so Sweet" in some pink and red swirling letters with a smiling peace of chocolate. It was probably Ella's and it was definitely not my first choice but it was bigger than the other mugs in the cabinet so I took it anyway.  
>Along with my oversized mugs of hot chocolate I was enjoying a plate of my mom's delicious home made choc chip cookies.<br>I sat there in the semi-darkness looking out over the neighboring farms on one side and fields on the other but my mind was somewhere far away. An estimated guess would put it about 1000 feet above the ground somewhere near the border of Arizona. I couldn't get myself to stop thinking – more like obsessing – over Iggy and Gazzy flying alone across the country. Iggy, flying blindly and vulnerably through the dark sky with only Gazzy's eyesight and direction to rely on. And Gazzy wasn't really known for his great attention span… I sighed, again. I wondered what they looked like after three years, trying to get my mind off the topic of their safety for a while.  
>Gazzy should be around eleven years old by now and since Iggy was the same age as me and Fang, he would also be seventeen(ish). We weren't one hundred percent sure how old we were. Those thoughtful evil labcoats kindly forgot to tell us that little detail. I absentmindedly looked up at Fang's bedroom window. The light was on inside so I could see his dark form moving around through the half-drawn curtain. At least he was safe, I thought to myself, trying to cheer up. It didn't work.<p>

I was pretty sure that we were all (relatively) safe here at my mom's house but the fact was that we could never be certain about it. There was always some kind of cooky millionaire who wanted us dead or to work for him and frankly I was getting sick of it. I was just tired of being a damn target all the time. Even if the bad guys only came after me they were still putting the rest of my flock, my family, in danger and that was something I wouldn't tolerate anymore.  
>My mental inspirational speech brought me to the decision that if the boys weren't back by tomorrow; I was going out to look for them. Hopefully the others would come with me but I didn't think I would've forced them if they said no…okay maybe I would but I guessed we'd see tomorrow.<p>

I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately tensed up; ready to remove it from me as well as the arm it was attached to. Just before I could do that, though, I recognized Fang's woodsy scent and when I lifted my eyes to his window I could see he had left his room. I relaxed and let out a long breath to steady myself but I didn't look up at him. Instead I spoke to the back yard.  
>"I wish you would stop doing that."<br>"Do what?" he asked innocently but he had moved around me and I could see his smug little grin in the almost complete darkness. Man, how I wanted to slap that grin right off his usually emotionless face. Fang had been acting much more…well, _un-_emotionless these past few days. At first I'd thought he had really changed since we split up but – and this could just be my normal paranoia talking – it kind of seemed like Angel and Ella noticed it too.  
>Like when Fang gave one of his uncharacteristic chuckles and they pause to stare at him for a few second, then exchange a glance before returning to they're usual girly schedule. Fang waved his hand in front of my face. Annoying!<p>

"Max, you're thinking so hard I could here your brain work from my room. What's up?"  
>I just looked at him, still trying to figure out if I was just imagining this change in him or if had been there all along and I only noticed it now.<br>"Are you still worried about the boys?" he probed, trying to get me to talk.  
>I let out a startled laugh as I realized how ironic this whole thing was. I was mute while Fang was trying to get a conversation out of me. Since he had no idea what I was laughing about he stared at me like id lost my mind. I sighed as I turned more serious again.<br>"You've changed, Fang." I said, simply and this seemed to confuse him even further. That only proved my point, since when did Fang show what he was feeling on his face? That beautiful face used to be void of any and all sign of emotion, designed to keep him objective. Hold up, did I just say _beautiful_? Where did that come from? _You know the answer to that, Max._ I froze instantly, that was not my own mind talking, but it didn't sound like my old voice either. This sounded like _me_.  
>Fang snapped my out of my mind again.<br>"How so?" he asked forcing me to postpone my panicked mental debate until later.  
>"You, know…" I said lamely, "I don't know how to describe it." I added as he looked pointedly at me.<br>"You're just different." I shrugged.  
>"Explain, please." He ordered.<br>Usually I responded poorly to any kind of order but this was Fang and for the first time in my life I decided to let it go.  
>"Well, uh, you seem a lot…happier these days." I felt like a complete idiot for saying it but as soon as I did a scary thought entered my mind. What if Fang was happy because he was finally living a safe, stable life? That would mean that he might not join me again, when the time came for me to gather the flock and leave again. This lead to an even scarier thought; what if none of the other were willing to go with me? But I didn't have time to think about that now.<br>"I am happier." Fang said, smiling a little for emphasis.  
>"Oh." I said. I probably sounded surprised but my mind was sluggish. He was allowed to be happy right? I asked myself. So why did it bother me so much? Because, when he said those words he confirmed everything I'd been thinking just a moment ago and it sent ice cold spikes down my throat.<br>I had a million questions but I had to wait until I was alone to try and figure out some answers.  
>"What's wrong now?" Fang asked, sounding tired.<br>"What do you mean? Why does something have to be wrong?"  
>"It doesn't but I can see something's bothering you."<br>He looked at me expectantly but I didn't say anything. It wasn't a question so I wasn't obliged to give an answer. That's me, Maximum Ride, stubborn as ever.  
>Fang let out a frustrated groan that scared me a tiny bit.<br>"Max, why do you have to make it so hard?"  
>"Make what so hard? I didn't do anything." My voice shook a little and I had no idea why. I was very surprised at his little outburst but that wasn't my biggest problem at the moment.<br>I looked back at Fang. He seemed almost angry but I had no idea why. I mean I was fairly sure he was angry _at me_ but I wasn't sure about the reason yet. He stared at me for a few minutes but he didn't say anything and I didn't try to start a conversation.

"Max, please don't shut me out like this." He said suddenly. "I want to help you."  
>My opened but I couldn't find my voice before he spoke again.<br>"I know you're used to coping on your own but I can try to make it easier if you'd just tell me what's wrong." I was stunned and could just stare as he went on.  
>"Please, Max. You're killing me with all this silence. Just let me in."<br>"I'm sorry, Fang." I said quietly. "I don't know how to do that anymore."  
>His face softened and he came to sit next to me, putting his arms around me. I lowered my head onto his shoulder and hugged him back. We sat there for another few minutes before I spoke up again.<br>"I want to go look for the boys if they don't show up by tomorrow at noon."  
>"Okay." He said simply. "Is that what you're worried about? The boys?"<br>"Partly, but I don't think the girls would want to come with me."  
>I didn't look at his face, choosing to speak into his neck instead. I was too afraid to look into his eyes.<br>"I'm sure they won't argue if you tell them to come."  
>"I guess not, but I don't want to make this into a big thing. It's probably just me being paranoid anyway." I said, loving the feel of his arms around me, his steady breathing next to me and most of all, the safety I felt with him.<br>"Well, I would be happy to come with you if you want." He said.  
>My chest felt like it was going to burst with relief as I realized that Fang would indeed be with me through everything.<br>"Thank you." I said fervently, hugging him tighter for a second. "But I think you should just stay with the girls if they don't want to come. I don't want to leave them alone."  
>"You think someone's watching the house?"<br>"No, but you can never be too sure." I said, sitting up again. He loosened his grip on me so I could move but he didn't let go and I leaned into him a little.  
>"Okay," he said again.<p>

After a while we got up and moved into the house. We sat on the couch in front of the television, watching some funny show about two brothers trying to take care of one of the guys' son. Then the girls came home from their movie and spent the next fifteen minutes relaying the entire thing to me and Fang.  
>It sounded interesting enough. Some little guy who's always wanted to be in the army and agrees to be some kind of test subject for this serum that enhances everything in is body and becomes a super soldier. I made me think of our own lives and the way everyone wanted to experiment on us and how we ourselves were the results of some twisted experiment.<br>The difference was that in this movie the scientist was the good guy, which made it very unrealistic to me. Regular people, who don't have to constantly run from crazy labcoats, probably didn't share out view though.

They finished right when my mom came home with enough Chinese food for twelve people (or four bird-kids). We all gathered around the table and enjoyed being together and safe for the moment.  
>Fang shot me a few looks fro time to time but I had decided to wait until tomorrow to ask the girls if they wanted to look for the guys with me.<br>Tonight I just wanted to be happy and you know what? It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be.

**A/N: Hey, sorry guys. I had too much to say in this chapter so the boys will be returning in the next one. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and please don't think that means you shouldn't do it again. I really, really, really want you to. **

**As always, feel free to criticize or give your ideas. It make writing the story much easier.**

**Then I was also thinking about answering reviews in chapters, but I know it annoys some people so tell me what you think about that too please.**

**Kay, so thanks again and I hope you all have wonderful weekends. I might be able to get the next chapter up on Tuesday? We'll see.**

**Remember to REVIEW. I want more this time.  
>Lots of smiles!<br>Janxi**


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone.

If you are still paying attention to this story I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. What I did is unforgivable but I think I at least owe you an explanation.

After I posted my last chapter I started exams at school and put the writing on hold for a few weeks. In that time my computer crashed and all my planning for further chapters were lost. I had to wait for another few weeks until the exams were over before I could start planning again but when I sat down in front of the screen I was hit with writers block like I've never felt before. I did type out an explanation for you all back then but when I received another angry message last week I realized it never went through.

I have not continued writing this story and I am sad to say that I don't plan on doing so any time soon. I can honestly not remember where I wanted to go with this story, but if I ever get another idea I will try to pick up where I left off.

If you have any ideas of your own that you think might inspire me, feel free to let me know. It might just work.

Also, if you are interested in taking over this story yourself, PM me and I will get to work on handing it over.

I hope you are all doing well and I wish you all the best in life.

**Jenna


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